Sideways Warren
The Sideways Warren or "The Sideways" is the name for the inner harbor district of Damarask and responsible for most of the cities fishing trade. Resting atop a low lying promontory in the bay, it is home to scoundrels, lagabouts, and swindlers.
The Sideways is surrounded on three sides by water and built on the lowest point in the city, making it more effected by the rising and lowering of the tides. At low tide the ocean pulls back to reveal about 200 yards of rocky, stone beach. The relatively shallow depth here makes the regular passage of larger vessels impossible giving way to a number of manufactured floating islands and houseboats. At high tide the district's bi-ways that are closer to the water's edge fill with water. Citizens use the high tide to channel in water and flood canals that are used to traverse the district.
Most of the paved streets in the district are built irregularly and at odd angles to one another, making this district difficult to navigate if one doesn't have a clear idea of where they are going. This confusion also makes the Sideways a preferred place for illicit and unwholesome activities. Of the main throughways, Gateway Run (leading from the Armsedge), and Tendercross (leading from the Tender) converge in the Sideways, creating Crooked Lane, which bends into Parade Heights.
Officially, The Sideways is maintained by a group known as the Inner Harbor Association but this is a front for the thieves guild known as Blackbirds.
Defences
The greatest defensive asset of The Sideways are its confusing streets and alleyways. The many corners allow for quick escapes, and dead ends can leave pursuers frustrated at best, and cornered at worst.
Industry & Trade
The Sideways handles the majority of the fishing trade in Damarask.
Infrastructure
Several feet lower in sea level than the other districts, the Sideways has found interesting ways of incorporating the tides and floods from Cormorant's Bay. In the bay, a number of floating platforms provide space for fishermen and crab farmers. Within the city, a number of sluice gates help maintain canals that zigzag around the district. The Warren also uses the canals to dispose of waste, employing a small number of "Blue Wardens" priests of Hysterion to cleanse the water.
Combined with the canals, the streets and alleyways of The Sideways make little logical sense to those who are not used to the many twists and turns. Only those with acute senses of direction can stop from becoming lost on their first visit; and even residents may have a hard time locating certain establishments.
Guilds and Factions
The thieves guild known as the Blackbirds has its fingers in most of the illicit activity within the Sideways.
Points of interest
The Sideways Harbor - Built upon a high underwater mountain shelf, the Sideways Harbor surrounds the district on three sides and is home to a number of houseboats, small fishing craft, and floating docks. When the tide gets low, the occupying craft often find themselves resting on the rocky beach below. The beach itself is flattened stone, scattered with a number of small pebbles, rocks, and gravel like stones. A large number of tide pools give depth and character to the landscape, as well as a number of holes, nooks, and crevices where one can find all sorts of mollusks, crustaceans and other sea life.
The Canals - Zigzagging across the district, these canals are used for various purposes. Some help to flush debris out to the bay, some act as moats and protective barriers, and many are used as a means of travel with a number of gondolas punting from one place in the district to another.
The Twisted Lip Tavern - A dingy whole in the wall type tavern. It is said that the Blackbirds operate a safe house here, and often give out unique jobs to more specialized contractors.
The Gull Street Fish Market - Pop up shops, tents, wagons, and other street vendors vie for attention and sales along this walk way. Many sell illegal wares out in the open but the back-room trade in illicit goods is still strong.
The Widow's Walk Inn - At the convergence of Tendercross and Eastgate run is this large, imposing black structure. Victorian in style with a number of towers and turrets, this Inn is known for being one of the most respectable businesses in The Sideways, a reputation that is not always deserved. It is run and managed by Ophelia Kara'zeraii, a tiefling who prides her business on being a safe space for everyone in the city to do business.
The Gold Bridge - Spanning the bay along the northern edge of the Sideways, this bridge leads from Crooked Lane into Parade Heights. It is always well monitored by a retinue of soldiers from the Parade Watch, who keep undesirables from cluttering the streets of Parade Heights.
Natural Resources
Fish of all sorts were plentiful in Cormorant's Bay and the Sea of Tempests but their numbers have dropped off precipitously lately.
Type
District
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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